GARRY Monk insists Swansea City's 5-0 "battering" at Liverpool will be no more than a distant memory if they claim a historic victory in Sunday's Capital One Cup final.

Michael Laudrup appeared to have one eye on the Wembley showdown against Bradford when he made seven changes to the Swans' side to face Liverpool — and the decision proved costly.

But club captain Monk, who is vying with Kyle Bartley to start alongside Ashley Williams at centre-back for the Swans at Wembley, believes the capitulation at Anfield will be immaterial if Swansea win their first ever major trophy next weekend.

"Don't get me wrong, we are not happy with the result at all. Not one bit," he said.

"But you can't just dwell on things in football. There's always a game the following week which is the chance to put it right.

"We just got battered. It's as simple as that. It was not acceptable for the standards we have set this season.

"Everyone is disappointed in the dressing room and we didn't want that leading into the week we have got coming up.

"But it is what it is. We have to dust ourselves down, think about it for the next couple of days and put it to one side and get on with the week.

"It just happens to be a cup final week. If we go there and hopefully win the game then hopefully it will be this right."

Laudrup said he "learned a lot" about some of Swansea's fringe players after they wasted their chance to impress against Liverpool.

But Monk, who has made nine appearances in all competitions this season, will still be hopeful of claiming a starting place against Bradford.

With Chico Flores set to be ruled out with injury, Laudrup will have to choose between Monk and Bartley to partner Williams in central defence.

Monk captained Swansea to a 4-2 Championship play-off final win over Reading on their last visit to Wembley, and the 33-year-old is hopeful of making a return to the grand arena on Sunday.

"It will be the manager's decision," he said.

"You can only try your best, but (the Liverpool game) wasn't a good example of that. It goes for everyone in the team who played.

"We have to move on. The quicker we learn from the mistakes we have made then the better for everyone.

"You're only one or two wins away from a great run or a couple of losses from a disaster. I'm not looking at this as a disaster, it's just not ideal preparation going into cup final.

"We'll have a meeting to talk about it, get everything out in the open and move on."

8 comments

Does anyone know whether the BBC Big Screen in Castle Square will be able to show the game? I know it's on ITV but I remember an arrangement was agreed upon during the last Rugby World Cup. It would be great for those of us who weren't able to get a ticket to soak up 'some' of the atmosphere with other ticket-less fans. I wish a huge screen could show the match at the Liberty.
C'mon you Swans!!!

There's no gripe with the manager leaving for a bigger club, it's the way he went, & the way Liverpool publicly courted him. Just like Martinez before him, Rodgers stated that he was staying to "continue the project", yet lied to the fans.
As for Liverpool, yes they are a bigger club than us for sure, but have been a mid-table team for quite some time now. Just look at other "big clubs" such as Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday, Forest etc who have won many things in the past. But where are they now?
Just because a club has a history doesn't give them the right to expect to win things year on year, & if they want respect as a "top club" once again, then they have to earn it, just like the rest of us.
Lost a lot of respect for Liverpool last season for the way they handled the whole Luis Suarez racism thing, & then the way they publicly went about taking our manager last summer.

Spidey, they are still a massive club. Current squad ability is only one measure, in terms of infrastructure, revenue and supporter numbers they are in the top 10 in the world.
As for Rodgers not being good enough, if he was good enough for us he is good enough for them.

liverpool were a masive club now they are a mid table side with a great history behind them and a poor future ahead of them.
Brendan is not good enough to turn them around and they will soon be in a relegation dogfight

abertawejack, you are embarrassing yourself mate.
Liverpool are a massive club, nobody other than a die-hard Swans fan would have said no to the chance to work there.
And to claim in the same breath that it is OK for players top move clubs but not managers is ridiculous.

I'm afraid every time we play Liverpool from here on in, it will be a game to be reckoned with by all fans. We remember full well, what Brendon Rogers actually thought of Swansea City Football Club, when we were on a high and moving forward. he not only left us in the lurch he also grabbed what he could by taking our back room staff along to a grandeur club, for us to pick the bones out of. players though will chase the money, whom can blame them. Yet Managers possibly have the utmost respect from players and Fans, but most of all adoration, from our inspiring youngsters not only within our City catchment areas, who play weekly in park games, emanating their favourite team, whom invariably and hopefully will be a Swansea City Football Club player, brought in by our ambitious and respected SCFC manager.
C'mon u SwanssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssYeehaa.

I hope the drubbing will be distant memory, thankfully the Bantums are not the same level of opposition as Liverpool. I just hope that NeoNats like LeighRichards do not bring their anti-English banners with them to Wembley and embarrass both our club, our city and our people.
The last thing we want is posters like him going to the match and given the watching world that we are racist people.